Huskers Unable to Stop Hawkeyes, Lose 5-3

Lincoln – The Nebraska baseball team (20-13-1, 4-3-1 Big Ten) had the tying run at the plate in the bottom of the ninth inning, but was unable to put together a late rally in a 5-3 loss to the Iowa Hawkeyes (22-11, 5-3 Big Ten) on Saturday night at Hawks Field. The Hawkeyes secured a series win with the victory and have now won 13 of their last 16 games.

Husker fans packed the park on Saturday night with 7,416 fans in attendance. It’s the 24th largest crowd in stadium history and the largest crowd since March 31, 2015, when 7,319 watched Nebraska play Creighton.

Nebraska got the tying run at the plate in the ninth when Angelo Altavilla singled with two outs, his second hit of the game. Shane Ritter clamped down and got a 4-3 groundout off the bat of Jake Meyers to secure his fourth save of the season. Ritter tossed 3.0 innings of three-hit scoreless relief behind starter Ryan Erickson.

Iowa scored all five of its runs with two outs and its first four hitters went 7-for-18 with five doubles and three RBIs, including two doubles each from Jake Adams and Robert Neustrom.  

Both starting pitcher worked into the seventh inning on Saturday and the senior starters nearly posted identical final lines. Nebraska’s Derek Burkamper allowed three runs on six hits and two walks over 6.1 innings, while Erickson gave up three runs (two earned) on six hits and two walks. Erickson improved to 1-1 in the win, while Burkamper fell to 2-3.

Burkamper retired the Hawkeyes in order in the top of the second and then NU’s offense broke the scoreless tie with a run in the home half of the inning. Scott Schreiber led off with a single before back-to-back fielder’s choice groundouts put Luis Alvarado on first with two down. With Mike Waldron at the plate, a balk by Erickson moved Alvarado to second. Waldron then reached on an infield single, and on the play shortstop Mason McCoy threw wide of first base, allowing Alvarado to score the game’s first run.

The Hawkeyes were limited to a pair of hits over the first three innings, but then broke out with a pair of runs on three hits in the top of the fourth. Neustrom got the rally started with a one out double and Ben Norman followed with walk. Burkamper responded with his fourth strikeout of the game, but was unable put up another scoreless inning, as Austin Guzzo and Matt Hoeg produced consecutive two-out RBI singles that gave Iowa a 2-0 lead.

Nebraska had the tying run in scoring position in the bottom of the fourth following consecutive two-out singles from Ben Miller and Alvarado. Waldron put a charge into a 1-1 offering from Erickson, but it was caught by Neustrom on the right-field warning track.

Altavilla led off the bottom of the sixth and snapped an 0-for-15 drought with a single to left. Meyers followed with a bunt single and the Huskers had two on with no out. Erickson got a fly out off the bat of Schreiber, but Altavilla was able to tag up and take third base, and then Miller delivered a RBI groundout that tied the game 2-2. Iowa intentionally walked Alvarado, putting the go-ahead run in scoring position, but the move paid off as Erickson struck out Waldron to end the sixth.

The tie didn’t last long, as the Hawkeyes retook the lead, 5-2, with three runs in the top of the seventh, all with two outs. With two on and two down, Iowa got back-to-back doubles from Adams and Neustrom.

Nebraska was in position for a big inning in the bottom of the seventh, but managed just one run. Following a one-out walk to Altavilla the Huskers had the base loaded and Meyers followed with a walk to cut Iowa’s lead to 5-3. With the bases still full Ritter was able to escape the jam with a 4-3 inning-ending double play off the bat of Schreiber.

Iowa was then unable to take advantage of a bases loaded opportunity in the top of the eighth. Reliever Nate Fisher retired the first two Hawkeyes before he loaded the bases with a walk, hit-by-pitch and a walk. The Huskers went to Robbie Palkert, who left them loaded with a fly out off the bat of McCoy.

Nebraska has the tying run at the plate in the eighth when Alvarado hit a one-out double and then again in the ninth when Altavilla laced a two-out single, but neither time NU was able to get to Ritter.

The series wraps up tomorrow, with first pitch scheduled for 2:02 p.m. Sunday’s finale will be shown nationwide on the Big Ten Network and streamed live on BTN2Go.